Leman knows he can play

Ankle surgery could cost Illini LB in draft

In the second quarter of the Rose Bowl, someone stepped on his right ankle, the same ankle that already had been through one surgery.

"You have ankles rolled up on all the time," he said. "It hurt, but it wasn't so bad I [had to] stop playing. The next day it was sore. It got better for about a week, then leveled off and started to get worse."

An MRI showed the need for surgery, and Indianapolis Colts orthopedic consultant David Porter operated.

"The bone was bruised so badly from being stepped on it wasn't healing properly, so they had to cut out part of the bone," Leman said. "Then they cleaned up some loose cartilage and scar tissue."

With that, Leman's hopes of putting his best foot forward for NFL scouts before this weekend's draft were gone.

Despite a stellar career in Champaign that included 291/2 tackles for loss over the last two seasons, questions linger.

Is he fast enough? The injury is preventing him from running 40-yard dashes before the draft.

Is he strong enough to take on blockers? The injury prevented him from working out at the February NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. And he had to drop out of the East-West Shrine Game in January.

"He just needs to get a chance," said Illinois coach Ron Zook, a former NFL defensive coordinator. "He made an awful lot of plays and tackles against pretty good people, in my opinion. He can play."

Before the draft, Leman was seen as a possible late-round pick. The inability to work out could push him out of the draft and force him to sign as a free agent.

Proving people wrong is nothing new to Leman. As a senior at Champaign Centennial, his only offer from a BCS conference school came from Illinois coach Ron Turner.

He used his visit to the NFL combine, where he met with more than 20 teams, to remind scouts of his career path.

"I wanted them to know my story," Leman said. "I was fortunate coach Turner gave me a chance -- it was the only scholarship offer I had except for Illinois State -- and I was blessed to flourish under coach Zook.

"What I tell them is any coach who has taken a chance on me has never regretted it, [even] coaches back in high school. The only ones who regretted it are the coaches at Ohio State or Michigan, who passed on me. That's what I tell them.

"If it's a matter of taking a chance on a guy, talk to my coaches and I guarantee they'll all say the same thing, 'We got a steal with J Leman.'"

Leman also hopes teams realize he came back from last year's ankle surgery, and that he didn't miss a start after moving into the lineup midway through his freshman season.

"The funny thing is I've been banged up the last two off-seasons, but I've only missed a handful of practices," he said. "I've started 41 straight games. People say 'He's banged up a lot,' but no, not really."

Working with Illinois strength coach Lou Hernandez, Leman started running three weeks ago and kicked it up to full speed last week. The Minnesota Vikings flew him in for a visit.

"You hear anything from 'Oh, that's too bad,' to 'That's OK, you started over 40 games, we have all the proof we need,'" Leman said. "The biggest surprise to me is the discrepancy in reaction."

Leman isn't banking on football for his long-term livelihood. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 31/2 years and has ambitions in broadcasting. He completed his master's degree in human resources education in December.

He's engaged to former Illinois volleyball player Katy Pratapas from Naperville Central. They will be married July 11 in Geneva, just in time for training camp."I would love to play 10 years or more," Leman said. "God has blessed me with a durable body. He will bless me wherever I go. I don't want to plan too far ahead. Now I just want to get on a team."